And Sparks Flew
by UnderdogHero
Summary: Tsumugi spends Christmas with Natsume, and proves to be an effective distraction. For the most part.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: For Christmas, I got a coloring book and a Yo-Kai Watch. Let's see how long it takes for me to color all these cats and how much a dork I look like wearing this very noticeable toy to work.

Also, the Switch theme on Line is the best thing to happen to me all month. Besides their unit CD.

I've been bouncing back and forth between Tsumugi/Natsume and another ship I wanted to try writing, but this one felt the most suitable.

 **.**

"Natsume-kuuuuun, this game is too hard!"

Tsumugi whined endlessly as he attempted to keep up with Natsume, who was silently bulldozing through enemies and loudly tapping the buttons of his controller. Tsumugi wasn't even quite sure what this game was, just that it was what Natsume was playing when he arrived at the younger boy's house and forced to play the moment he was noticed.

Which was rather fast - he'd only just entered the living room when Natsume tossed the controller to him, not even turning away from the television.

 _As expected of a fortune teller's son. Ugh, what was this game even called? Ta- Tales of- something? Why is the title even in English!_

"Senpai, you're taking too much DAMAGE. Properly heal yourSELF."

"Uuuh, I would if I could, but how do I do that again...?" He looked down at the controller, thumb alternating between the X and O buttons, trying to remember which did what.

Natsume sighed defeatedly, snatching the controller away from him and placing it on the floor next to his own, expertly using one hand to both move the character Tsumugi was using and push the correct buttons to heal it. His other hand lay over his own controller, middle finger holding the square button down while his thumb moved the control stick. And instead of handing the controller back to Tsumugi, he proceeded to play both characters on his own, ending the battle and straightening his back as a cutscene started.

"As I THOUGHT, you're rather useless when it comes to something like THIS, Senpai." He said, with a click of his tongue. "One has to wonder why you even came OVER."

"I thought you'd be lonely, home all alone!" Tsumugi cried, leaning back against the couch and pouting. "Your mother is busy even on Christmas, huh?"

Natsume didn't answer at first, staring at the screen as the scene came to an end and he was able to move about. He immediately made his way over to a glowing object. The words "saving game data" came up a few seconds later before he pushed the home button and selected "quit game". Tsumugi watched as he crawled over to the system, ejecting the disk and shutting it off before reaching for the outlet and unplugging it. He searched through the many wires–

"I think I found the source of the fire..." Tsumugi mumbled to himself, and Natsume responded with an unamused grunt.

–before grabbing the one Tsumugi supposed was for the Wii U, seeing as that was the console for the game he was currently holding. He let his knee drop from its position against his chest and waited for his unit's leader to return to his spot next to him, blinking when he felt something press against his leg. Looking down, he smiled when a white cat crawled onto his lap, followed by a slightly smaller black one. The white one balanced on his knees, black paws clawing at the fabric of his jeans before it moved on to his right knee, sitting down and slowly sliding onto its side and lying there. The black one followed shortly after, white paws scrambling to find a place around its sibling before settling with the middle of Tsumugi's lap and curling into a ball. Glancing over at them, Natsume let a tiny smile make its way to his face.

"It looks like you get along, as USUAL." He said, moving back to his place next to the older boy. Tsumugi blinked when he realized he only had one controller.

"Um, I'm not playing anymore?" He questioned, not pausing in scratching the two furballs' backs. Natsume rolled his eyes.

"I let you play because I thought it would be a chaLLENGE, facing off against an unKNOWN." He said. "In the end, you turned out to be a disTRACTION."

Tsumugi didn't even wince at the comment, all too used to Natsume calling him rude things, instead leaning back against the couch. He switched from scratching to rubbing as the cats purred away, tails flicking lazily. The screen changed, from the white home menu to a splatter of paint and squid-like creatures. He vaguely recalled seeing them somewhere before, but video games weren't exactly his specialty, so he didn't say anything.

It was only until Natsume was in the game and moving his character around that he spoke again.

"It seems even on CHRISTMAS, there are people that require Mommy's ASSISTANCE." He said, confusing Tsumugi for a moment before he remembered his earlier comment.

"Oh... and your father is her manager, so he's required to go along, right?" Natsume hummed in response, tapping the screen of the gamepad before continuing.

"He says it's SAFER. In case the client is UNHAPPY."

Tsumugi didn't need to ask what that meant. Instead, he turned his attention to the bag of wrapping paper and boxes of various sizes stacked in the corner of the room, and it clicked.

 _What an effective distraction..._

"If only I wasn't so used to it."

His body inadvertently jerked, startling the two felines and causing them to leap off his lap, his leg stinging slightly at the feel of claws tearing his skin. He'd check that later, but right now, Natsume-

"Still, you proved to be a worthwhile punching BAG. Thanks."

-was ignoring him again, turning back to his game and entering the map. In a few seconds, the room was filled with the sounds of splashing paint and strange cries from the player character. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cats circling the wrapping paper, swatting and biting at it. He had half a mind to stop them, but right now he felt like continuing the conversation.

"So, um, all these games-"

 _Splat._

"-did your parents know what to get, or-"

 _Squish. Roll_.

"-did you tell-"

"Senpai, I love you, but please shut up." Natsume cut him off suddenly, leaning in closer and tapping buttons furiously. As another player was taken out by his choice of weapon - Tsumugi had no idea what a "Splash-o-matic" was, and he didn't feel like asking - the words processed in Tsumugi's mind and went a completely different direction.

"Wait, really? REALLY really?" He said. Natsume barely glanced at him before he answered in the affirmative. He was silent for a few seconds before realization sunk in, and his head snapped around to look at Tsumugi.

"Wait, that wasn't-"

The sound of a buzzer went off, and they both hurried to look back at the screen, where it showed Natsume's character cheering among many other models like it. Tsumugi turned back to Natsume, who looked a mixture of proud and panicked.

"You said it normally, you must mean it, right?!" He pressed, leaning in slightly. Natsume opened his mouth, then shut it, before opening it again.

"Wai- you were being NOISY!" He defended, attempting to avoid the subject and failing miserably. "And- just because I said it doesn't mean-"

He was cut off when Tsumugi grabbed his hands, smiling widely.

"Aww, I'm so happy! I like you too!" He said cheerfully. Natsume was torn between pulling away and staying still, until movement nearby caught his attention and an idea occured to him.

"Shiro! Kuro! A-Attack Cats!"

Tsumugi had a moment to look confused before two small bodies collided with his back, knocking him over. Natsume smiled triumphantly, before he realized the unfortunate result was Tsumugi falling _forward_ onto him.

They tumbled to the ground painfully, and Natsume groaned as he released the controller in favor of reaching for his head, which had hit the ground with a loud _smack_.

"We need to work on ANGLE..." He mumbled, and the cats meowed playfully. He attempted to sit up, finding it difficult with the older boy lying on top of him. "Senpai, you need to MOVE. You're HEAVY."

"... I would if I could, but..."

"But...?"

"... They're getting comfortable."

Natsume blinked before looking back at his cats, which had circled around and curled up on Tsumugi's back, preventing him from moving. He looked back at the screen, which was still on the "battle again" screen, and huffed.

"Distraction INDEED."

 **.**

A/N: It is nearing 5 in the morning, Christmas, and I was desperate to finish this. Good thing I don't have work today :/ Merry Christmas, folks.

Let's see if anyone can figure out the reference I was trying to make near the end.

... I love how spellcheck will red line all of Natsume's lines because of how they're written.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Since I never did mention how Tsumugi ended up at Natsume's house and Natsume's reaction to being left home alone on one of the biggest holidays on the PLANET, I decided to go for a short flashback. Of sorts. More like a "before-and-after"? Whatever, it's done with anyway.

 **.**

If Natsume was being completely honest, he would have preferred for his parents to be with him today.

It was selfish, childish, and just a little stupid, but he figured he could let it pass - he was a child, it's Christmas, and he barely saw them enough to begin with. And he knows that if he just _asked_ they would drop all their plans for the day and be a real _family_.

But he wouldn't. Because what his mother was doing was good, and people needed her.

That thought alone kept him quiet as he sat down on the living room floor, next to the stack of neatly wrapped presents. His mother sat at the end of the couch closest to him while his father was in the armchair, both watching him with smiles on their faces. He returned the look, and at his father's insistent gesture, picked up the first box and got to work tearing it open.

He expected it, of course. While his relatives tended to give him things like clothes and stuffed animals, his parents knew what would really keep him distracted until they returned late in the night.

Video games.

He never told them which ones he wanted, so he supposed one of them took the time to see what he had, since he kept a large display case in the living room filled with his personal games.

 _Tales of Berseria. Splatoon. The Last Guardian. Overwatch. Zero Escape. Pokemon Moon._

All games he didn't have yet, or at least a different version in the latter's case, among others. All games he hadn't had the time or money to pick up on his own. They knew him well.

After each box had been gone through and the wrapping paper stuffed into a bag for later disposal, he was seated in between his parents, controller in hand and happy that they were staying long enough to watch him break in his new games.

"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" His mother asked, although it was more habit now. They asked him the same questions every year on this day - and he always responded the same.

"I'll be FINE, Mommy." He said, turning to give her a smile. He could tell by the look on her face, though, that it didn't appear as honest as he wanted it to. Looking to his father, he nodded, a gesture that was returned, although not without the same regretful expression he received every year.

"I'm sorry we can't stay longer, Natsume. You know we would if we could..." He said, and Natsume shook his head, turning back to his game, which he'd been playing without looking. One of the cats wandered over, squeezing its way under his arm and onto his lap. The other one curled up behind him, and he felt the soft purring on the base of his back.

"It's OKAY. You're just doing your JOB." He knew they could tell, by the way he was talking, that he wasn't happy about it. But he wasn't going to stop them. He never did.

A few more minutes passed before he father stood, walking out of the room. There was a jingle of keys, and his mother sighed, standing. She walked over to her son, leaning down to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek before patting his head and following. His father called "See you tonight" from the doorway, and he waited until he heard the click of the lock before letting his shoulders slump.

 _It IS a little lonely._ He thought, pausing the game and moving one hand to scratch the cat's back, the other one reaching out to the table next to him and grabbing his cellphone, which had buzzed a few times when he was opening his presents.

" _Merry Christmas, Natsume-kun! Sorry I'm a little late, I just woke up!_ "

"Ugh, that fool is cheery as USUAL." He clicked his tongue, scrolling through the other messages from his classmates. Most of them he could tell were sent en masse, being rather generic and short. Although he let out a small huff of laughter when he read Hokuto's message of " _You didn't really set the tree on fire, did you?_ "

He considered responding with a vague " _Yes._ " but decided against it - Hokuto would take him seriously and probably avoid him for weeks, and he happened to like the boy quite a bit, so that wouldn't do.

Scrolling back up to the most recent message, he saw that he received another from Tsumugi, longer than the last one. It seemed he was having fun with his family, and Natsume felt his heart clench slightly when he recited in his head the words that would have kept his own parents with him.

 _Don't leave me alone._

Maybe that feeling of loneliness was starting to grow stronger, but he suddenly found himself replying to his senior.

" _Do you want to come over? I'm alone right now._ "

He didnt expect a reply so soon, much less seconds after he sent it. He re-opened his email and tried to hold back the feelings that were bubbling up.

" _Eh, you're alone?! That's no good, I'll be right over!_ "

He let a tiny, strained laugh escape him, and he leaned back against the couch.

"He's too nice."

 **.**

A/N: That took a lot less time and went a lot smoother than chapter 1. I'm kinda in shock, but there it is.


End file.
